TIP-OFF• The 22nd-ranked Central Missouri Mules hit the road for the first of three straight road games beginning Saturday afternoon at Lindenwood. Tip-off at Robert F. Hyland Arena in St. Charles is set for 3 p.m.
• The Mules are 16-3 on the season and 7-3 in MIAA play after a 71-62 win over Lincoln on Wednesday night at the Multipurpose Building. The win was the third straight for UCM.
• The Lions are 12-6 overall and 7-2 in MIAA play and in first place in the league standings after a 73-66 win at Southwest Baptist on Thursday night.
• The Mules were 30-5 a season ago when they captured the NCAA-II National Championship. It was the third 30-win season in program history, the seventh 20-win season in the last 12 years and the 23rd in school history.
• The 2013-14 season was the 11th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM, the longest active streak in the MIAA and tied for the longest streak in conference history with Northwest Missouri, who accomplished the feat from 1997-2008.
• Central Missouri finished 16-3 in MIAA play last year and captured a share of the MIAA regular season championship for the third straight season. It was the sixth conference crown in the last 12 years and 24th in school history.
QUICK HITS• This is the 110th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,631 wins.
• The Mules are averaging 75.8 points per game and shooting 51 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 67.0 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).
MULE TIDBITS•
TJ White has recorded his first three career double-doubles this season to lead all Mules.
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Dillon Deck has one double-double this season and seven during his two-year UCM career.
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Kyle Wolf recorded the second double-double of his career with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney.
• Four Mules have recorded double-doubles this season (Deck, Dickerson, White, Wolf).
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Preston Brunz leads the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage at 54.7 percent ... he is also third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.2 (43 assists/20 turnovers).
• Ten different Mules have scored in double figures this season ... nine different Mules have led the team in scoring.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be just the seventh all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Lindenwood. The Mules lead the series 5-1.
• UCM has won three straight in the series and is 3-1 against the Lions since they joined the MIAA.
• The Mules swept both meetings last season, including an 82-76 come from behind win in St. Charles on February 15, 2014.
• The Mules are 1-1 all-time at Hyland Arena.
LAST MEETING WITH LINDENWOOD• The Mules shot 49 percent from the field and overcame a 17-point deficit at the foul line to beat Lindenwood 82-76 on February 15, 2014 at the Hyland Arena in St. Charles.
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Daylen Robinson led four Mules in double figures with 19 points and six assists.
Charles Hammork and
TJ White had 14 points apiece and
Jordan Epps chipped in 11.
• The Mules had 12 assists on 30 made baskets and committed a season-low four turnovers. The Lions turned the ball over 13 times and had eight assists on 19 made field goals.
• UCM held a 36-14 advantage in points in the paint.
• Lindenwood held the rebounding advantage, 31-28, but the Mules pulled down 10 offensive boards.
• Tyler Ressel led Lindenwood with 24 points, while Brandon Marquardt had 17 and Darris Smith chipped in 13.
• UCM was 15-of-24 at the free throw line, while the Lions were 32-of-39.
SCOUTING THE LIONS• Lindenwood enters the game at 12-6 overall and 7-2 in MIAA play and in first place by a half a game in the league standings. The Lions have won eight straight games.
• LWU is averaging 74.6 points per game offensively and shooting 49 percent from the field. They shoot 45 percent from three-point range and 72 percent at the free throw line.
• They are holding opponents to 66.4 points per game, 46 percent overall shooting and 35 percent from beyond the arc. The Lions have gotten to the free throw line 46 more times than their opponents and made 43 more free throws.
• Cory Arentsen leads a pair of Lions averaging in double figures at 15.6 points per game. Darris Smith averages 12.6 per outing. Both of those averages go up by over a point per contest during MIAA play and both players also average a team-best 2.8 assists per game.
• Arentsen also leads the team in rebounding at 5.1 boards per game. Garrett Reeg pulls down 4.4 boards per contest to go along with 8.6 points per outing and Sam Mader averages 4.8 rebounds per game.
• The Lions are averaging over nine made three-pointers per game and they limit opponents to under six.
• They out-rebound opponents by over two boards per game and are forcing nearly 12 turnovers per game.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 71, LINCOLN 62 • 1/21/15WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The 22nd-ranked Mules used a 15-5 run to break a 50-all tie and pull away from Lincoln for a 71-62 win on Wednesday night at the Multipurpose Building. The back-and-forth battle saw 11 ties and 14 lead changes as the Mules improved to 16-3 overall and 7-3 in MIAA play.
   The game was tight in the early going with the Blue Tigers (4-14, 1-8 MIAA) grabbing a 10-6 lead at the 14:14 mark of the first half. The Mules used four quick points to tie the game only to see Lincoln go back in front on a three-pointer from Blake Ralling.
Jordan Epps tied the game for the Mules with a three-point play, but Ralling answered with another three and LU led 16-13 with 9:53 left in the first half.
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Dillon Deck made 1-of-2 free throws and
Donte Adams scored a layup to tie the game and start an 8-0 run that gave UCM a 21-16 lead with 6:33 left in the opening stanza. The lead was five at 23-18 on a Deck layup, but a 10-3 run gave the Blue Tigers a 28-26 advantage with just over a minute to play. Deck made 1-of-2 at the line again to pull within one, but Zach Schraeder scored a layup to push the lead to three.
Rakeem Dickerson scored for the Mules right before the half and UCM trailed 30-29 at halftime.
   The Mules opened the second half on a 5-0 run to grab a 34-30 lead and force a Blue Tiger timeout. Lincoln came right back with a 7-2 spurt to regain the lead and the back-and-forth affair continued. Neither team led by more than two as the game see-sawed back and forth. Schraeder made a pair of free throws to give the Blue Tigers a 48-47 lead only to see
Tony Cochran bury a three to give UCM a 50-48 lead. Joshua Buie tied the game with a jumper, but his free throw was no good and the game was knotted a 50-50 with 8:56 to play.
   That's when UCM took over. Adams scored on a jumper from the top of the key to give UCM a 52-50 advantage and Cochran buried another three off an assist from
TJ White and the Mules led by five. After a pair of foul shots for LU, Cochran hit another three and the lead was six. Cochran made two free throws and White scored on a layup to extend the lead to eight. Following one made FT from the Blue Tigers, Cochran hit his fourth three of the second half and UCM led by 10 with 3:15 to play.
   The Mules pushed the lead to as many as 13 with 1:00 to play and took the nine-point win for their third straight victory.
   UCM shot 47 percent for the game, 25-of-53, including 5-of-16 from three-point range for 31 percent. The Mules struggled at the foul line to a 64 percent clip, making 16-of-25 attempts. The Mules were led in scoring by Cochran and Deck's 14 points. Dickerson finished with 13, while White had 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. Adams chipped in seven points and seven rebounds off the bench as well.
   Lincoln was led in scoring by Malcolm McDonald's 18 points and Ralling's 16. LU was 19-of-44 from the field for 43 percent, but blistered the nets from beyond the arc at 10-of-16 for 63 percent. The Blue Tigers were 14-of-23 at the free throw line for 61 percent.
   The Mules out-scored Lincoln 38-14 in the paint and 41-4 from the bench. UCM turned 13 LU turnovers in to 18 points as well.
THE MULES AT HOME• Central Missouri is 164-23 at the Multipurpose Building over the last 13 years and 10-2 under
Doug Karleskint after the win over Lincoln on Wednesday, January 21.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 147-13 at home, including 59-1 against non-conference opponents and 88-12 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 475-90 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multi.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules are 3-1 on the road this season after the 64-58 win at Missouri Western on Wednesday night.
• UCM was 8-4 on the road last season, including 7-3 in MIAA play.
MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES• UCM is 3-0 this year and 53-20 in neutral site games over the last 13 years after the 90-84 overtime win over Quincy on Nov. 25 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
• The Mules were 9-1 in neutral site games last season.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY• The Mules are 7-3 in conference action under
Doug Karleskint after the win over Lincoln on Wednesday night.
• Central Missouri is 166-69 in MIAA play over the last 13 seasons.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA Tournament titles.
MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION• The Mules are 9-0 in non-conference games this season and 124-29 over the last 13 seasons after the win over Culver-Stockton on December 15.
• The Mules went 14-2 in non-MIAA games last year.
• Central Missouri is 58-1 in the last 59 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• Give the Mules an 17-3 record overall and 8-3 in MIAA play and move them in to first place in the conference standings.
• Give Central Missouri four straight wins.
• Give the Mules four straight wins over Lindenwood and two in a row in St. Charles.
• Give UCM a 6-1 lead in the all-time series with the Lions.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop the Mules to 16-4 overall and give UCM a 7-4 record in MIAA play and drop them a game and a half behind Lindenwood in the conference standings.
• Snap the Mules' three-game winning streak against Lindenwood and pull the Lions to within 5-2 in the all-time series.
• Snap UCM's three-game winning streak.
BLOCK PARTY• Senior
Dillon Deck now has 56 blocked shots in his UCM career, moving him into a tie with Mike Moultrie for fourth place on UCM's career blocks list.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, the eighth most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
KARLESKINT ERA OFF TO A GOOD START•
Doug Karleskint is 16-3 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 106-37 (.741) overall in his fifth season as a head coach.
• He became the first Mules' head coach to start his first season at UCM 7-0.
• He spent the previous five seasons at Arkansas Tech, including the last four as head coach. He compiled a 90-34 (.726) record with the Wonder Boys with four conference championships and four trips to the NCAA-II National Tournament, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2012.
MULES IN THE POLLS• The Mules moved up three spots to No. 22 in the latest NABC/Division II Rankings released on Tuesday.
• The Mules have been ranked in 147 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules re-entered the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA at No. 23 this week after dropping out of last week's poll. The poll is in its first year of existence and is voted on by Division II Sports Information Directors.
MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY• In the 110th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,631-927 (.638) record in 2,558 total games.
• The Mules are the third winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• Central Missouri is one of just three NCAA-II programs with 1,600 all-time wins.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 23 times in the history of the program.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season three times, including last year.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.
THE NEXT LEVEL• In the past 12 years, 21 former UCM players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster;
Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), Sanijay Watts (Germany, Dorsten) and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS• Following the fall sports seasons, Central Missouri has won a combined 202 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured seven MIAA regular season titles, the most of any school in one season in league history, and the second time Central Missouri has accomplished the feat.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 146 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won six national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003 and men's basketball in 2014) and eight national championships overall.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM• Central Missouri had 220 student-athletes named to the 2013-14 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 41 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned all-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 17 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had 12 student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with seven of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on the 44,000-watt 98.5 "The Bar, 1450 KOKO and online at warrensburgradio.com. All games are broadcast by 1450 KOKO/98.5 "The Bar" Sports Director, Greg Hassler and Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations,
Mike Knipper.
• The
Doug Karleskint Show, Live from Traditions Restaurant presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. will air on Monday nights at 6 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as warrensburgradio.com.
LIVE VIDEO STREAMING• Live video coverage for all Central Missouri home and away MIAA games will be available through Stretch Internet on a pay-per-view basis. The cost is $9.95 for a day pass or $89.95 for an all-season pass for UCM basketball. With a day pass, fans can access any MIAA game being broadcast that day. Fans can access webcasts through the GameCentral by Stretch Internet link on the UCM Athletics homepage or through the "Video" links on the Mules Basketball schedule page. Fans can also go directly to
portal.stretchinternet.com/ucmo/
UPCOMING• The Mules continue their three-game road swing next Saturday, January 31 at Missouri Southern. Tip-off at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is set for 3:30 p.m.
• UCM wraps up the road trip on Thursday, February 5 at Southwest Baptist at 7:30 p.m.
